Albums where the closer is the star

[Wissen]

Just today, I listened to an EP from my first band, released all the way back in 2009, and it was great fun listening to it with fresh ears and a different perspective. I probably haven't listened to these songs in about six years, and I am a completely different musician than I was back then.

That band did have a bit of a local following and some name recognition in our area, and by far our most recognizable song ended up being track 6 of 6 on the EP. Looking back now, I am somewhat bemused that we decided to put it last, given that we used that as our most marketable song for gigs and licensing deals. But the song definitely has an "end of the album" feel, especially in how we arranged the end of the song itself.

It got me thinking about album order. I'm happy to kick off a larger philosophical conversation about the topic because I always welcome different viewpoints.

But my more specific discussion topic is this: What are some famous/well-known/popular albums over the years that put their most popular track last? Or where the last track became the most popular?

 

[FilterFunk]

Parliament's "Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome" has "Flash Light" as its closer:

 

[kjp360]

I'm in Love with a Girl is the last track on Big Star's Radio City LP. Not sure if it was even a single but has since been covered by many.
Get Back is the last track on the Beatles' Let it Be LP
Waiting on a Friend is the last track on Tattoo You lp, as is You Can't Always Get What You Want on Let it Bleed by the Stones.
There are definitely more examples...
One thing of note for the LP era is that inner album tracks have a lesser audio quality than tracks at the outer edge.

 

[Acidic Pool]

I really like "Perpetual Change" as the last track on "The Yes Album". One of the things I like about LPs is you get TWO album finales (and beginnings)!

 

[5andFretless]

Dreamboat Annie?

 

[robd]

Skynyrds 1st album comes to mind... Freebird is the last song

 

[Jaycat]

I'm gonna go with Pindar's Revenge from Sanders' Truckstop.

 

[Bozzy]

L.A. Woman by The Doors is a good example. The last track on it is ''Riders on the Storm''

 

[Bruiser Stone]

Into the Void

 

[Corigan]

Emerald from jailbreak - thin lizzy
rocket queen from appetite- GnR

 

[g-dude]

Grateful Dead's American Beauty - last track is Truckin'.

 

[2112]

 

[guitarflinger]

Who's Next - Won't Get Fooled Again

 

[ardgedee]

Yo La Tengo have always been good at sequencing their tracks and they have a lot of great closing numbers, often instruments or long jams with minimal vocals.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

 

[dalkowski]

I dunno if it falls under "popular" but the Stone Roses closed their first LP with a rager (jump to 3:38 if you must):

 

[basted]

Mystery Achievement by the Pretenders

 

[Snaxster]

What are some famous/well-known/popular albums over the years that put their most popular track last? Or where the last track became the most popular?

Public Enemy - "Fear of a Black Planet"

"Fight the Power" is the last tune of that 20-track album.

Correction: That was true only of the 2014 reissue edition. So it doesn't count.

 

[Snaxster]

Bob Marley and the Wailers - "Uprising"

Maybe "Redemption Song" was not the biggest hit. But it became and remains one of Bob Marley's most respected and influential songs.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Sgt. Peppers - A Day in the Life.